New York Rangers Quarter Century All Free Agent Team

Editor's Note: The National Hockey League is honoring the best players of the last 25 years by presenting a Quarter Century Team for each NHL club. The New York Rangers Quarter Century Team is scheduled to be released on Saturday, January 26. Blueshirt Banter will be presenting our own Rangers Quarter Century Team on Friday, January 25. We'll also be presenting a few other versions in a Rangers Quarter Century Team series, including this All Free Agent Team. You can read the All Trade Deadline Team here.

The New York Rangers are no strangers to playing in the free agent market. Once up on a time in the pre-salary cap days, you could count on the Rangers being heavily in on the big names in free agency every offseason. Now, often this meant signing guys who were past their prime, or throwing big money at guys and then asking them to play roles they weren't very well suited for (hey there, Bobby Holik), but Broadway has always been a popular free agent destination.

Many of those free agent signings have gone on to play important roles at different points in the last 25 years, with several being key contributors to extended playoff runs. And one of them is undeniably the best free agent signing on the history of the team.

As we continue our Rangers Quarter Century Team series, let's zero in on our All Free Agent Team.

First Team

LW: Artemi Panarin
C: Michael Nylander
RW: Marian Gaborik
D: Dan Girardi
D: Michal Rozsival
G: Cam Talbot

Artemi Panarin

This one couldn't be more obvious. Artemi Panarin signed a seven-year, $81.5 million deal with the Rangers in the 2019 offseason. It was just after The Letter and the Rangers decision to reset their roster in the midst of a disappointing season, and adding the marquee free agent of that summer jump-started their rebuild.

Panarin's career was intertwined with the Rangers even before he became a Blueshirt. He scored his first NHL goal on Henrik Lundquvist as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks in an October 2015 game against the Rangers. His first career hat trick came against, you guessed it, the Rangers in February 2016. While he was a star for the Hawks, a cap crunch forced a trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets. After two years in Columbus he hit the free agent market, and turned down more money from the New York Islanders to make Madison Square Garden his new home.

And all the Breadman has done since coming to Broadway is produce. In 395 games (and counting) over six seasons he's put up 169 goals and 341 assists for 510 points for an astonishing 1.3 points per game pace with the Rangers. Add to that 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points in 46 career playoff games. He completed the Rangers comeback from a 3-1 series deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2021-2022 playoffs with a game-winning overtime goal that sent the Garden into a frenzy and gave us of one of Sam Rosen's best calls.

Without a doubt, Artemi Panarin isn't just the best free agent signing on this Quarter Century All Free Agent team, he's the best free agent signing in New York Rangers history.

Michael Nylander

To be honest with you, selecting the centers on the first and second teams here was not particularly easy, although picking defensemen was arguably harder. Most of the free agent center options from the last 25 years played only a few years with the Rangers. Michael Nylander is one of those guys, spending only two seasons on Broadway. But in those two seasons he was excellent. Over 160 games, Nylander posted 49 goals and 113 assists for 162 points, just slightly better than a point-per-game pace. The line he centered with Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka (who just barely missed making this list) was a key cog in helping the Rangers reach 100 points in the 2005-2006 season, leading the team out of the dark ages of the early-aughts.

But perhaps his best (or at least my favorite) Rangers moment came on April 8, 2006, when Nylander scored the overtime winner in a game against the Boston Bruins. Following the game, Nylander spoke to NBC ice-level reporter Pierre McGuire, who had coached Nylander with the Hartford Whalers. McGuire asked Nylander, "You seem to be having a lot of fun out there. Why's that?" To which Nylander replied, "Because I don’t have to take shit from you anymore." Go off, king.

Marian Gaborik

If not for the brilliance of Artemi Panarin, Marian Gaborik would probably be the best free agent signing on this Quarter Century team. The Rangers inked the former Minnesota Wild star to a 5-year, $37.5 million deal on the first day of free agency in 2009. He would go on to put up 114 goals and 115 assists for 229 points in 255 games over four seasons with the club. We're left to wonder what those numbers would have looked like if not his semi-frequent injury issues (although one of those injuries would open the door for another player on this list).

For many of those seasons under John Tortorella's defense-first, shot-blocking system, Gaborik was the Rangers offense. Eventually it was the clash of Gaborik's finesse style with Tortorella's preference for a certain kind of player to fit in his system that would lead to Gaborik being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets along with two minor leaguers in exchange for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, John Moore, and a sixth-round draft pick. Two seasons later, Gaborik would be traded to the Los Angeles Kings and, in true Rangers karmic fashion, would go on to star in the 2014 playoffs, leading the postseason with 14 goals as the Kings captured the Stanley Cup in five games over the Rangers.

My most enduring memory of Gabby will always be his triple-overtime game-winner against the Washington Capitals in game three of the second round of the 2012 playoffs, ending the 5th-longest playoff game in Rangers history.

Dan Girardi

There's one thing that's unambiguously true about the Rangers record in signing free agent defensemen: they weren't looking for offensive prowess. Sure, there are examples of them taking a stab at that, like adding Dan Boyle in 2014, but they didn't meet with much success. The Rangers were, however, absolutely able to add solid defensive defensemen through the free agent market, first and foremost with Dan Girardi.

You could be forgiven for forgetting the Girardi was a free agent signing. After going undrafted coming out of juniors, Girardi was an invitee to the Rangers training camp in 2005, but was cut after only a week. He was later signed to the the Rangers' ECHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, and shortly thereafter received a call-up to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. He'd go on to make the AHL all rookie team and would sign a NHL contract with the Rangers in 2006.

For most of the next 11 seasons, Girardi would be an anchor of the Rangers defense. While many of us now remember him for the poor end to tenure on Broadway, being bought out in 2017 of the remainder of his six-year, $33 million extension, it's undeniable that Girardi was an absolute warrior and a heart-and-soul member of the Rangers resurgence and extended playoff runs in the 2010s. Not bad for an undrafted free agent.

Michal Rozsival

After four seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and following the lost 2004-2005 lockout season, Michal Rozsival signed a 1-year, $703K contract with the Rangers as a 27-year old free agent defensemen. He'd parlay that one-year deal into two more extensions with the Blueshirts, spending six years on Broadway before being traded in 2011 to the Phoenix Coyotes for shootout specialist Wojtek Wolski.

Over those six seasons, Rozsival posted 42 goals and 134 assists for 176 points in 432 games with the Rangers. A stalwart on the team's blueline, Rozsival was an important part of the Rangers post-lockout emergence from the dark ages, and return to the playoffs. He'll be best remembered for his double-overtime game-winner against the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the 2007 playoffs.

Cam Talbot

Selecting goaltenders for a New York Rangers Quarter Century All Free Agent list is an interesting exercise. Setting aside the tumultuous pre-lockout season teams, the Rangers net has really only been occupied by two guys: Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin. That relegates our choices at this position to backup goaltenders. Thankfully for us, and in no small part because of Benoit Allaire's goalie voodoo magic, we do have some solid choices for this team, starting with Cam Talbot.

Talbot was signed a two-year entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Alabama-Huntsville, where he led the Chargers to a CHA tournament championship, taking home MVP honors in the process. Talbot saw his first NHL action in the 2013-2014 season, starting 19 games and making two relief appearances while serving as Henrik Lundqvist's backup. But it was the next season, his last in New York, where he really shined. With Lundqvist out with a throat injury after taking a puck to the neck, Talbot went 17–4–3, helping to lead the Rangers to the Presidents' Trophy. Over two seasons on Broadway, Talbot posted a 33-15-5 record with a .931 save percentage and 2.00 GAA.

Second Team

RW: Theo Fleury
C: Brad Richards
LW: Mats Zuccarello
D: Anton Stralman
D: Darius Kasparitis
G: Antti Raanta

Theo Fleury

After 11 great seasons with the Calgary Flames and a trade deadline-rental run in the playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche, Theo Fleury joined the Rangers just before the turn of the century on a three-year contract worth $21 million.

Fleury's time on Broadway was definitely tumultuous. In his first season, the prolific scorer would net only 16 goals and 69 points—decent numbers, but a big decline from his 105 point previous year. Following the season, Fleury would enter the NHL's player assistance program. He would rebound in a big way the following year, posting 80 points in 62 games before ending his season by again entering the player assistance program. In his final year with the Blueshirts he'd play all 82 games, scoring 28 goals and 72 points.

We now know of Fleury's struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, as well as the effects of being the victim of sexual abuse as a child. In the time following his NHL career, Fleury has become a tireless advocate for child sexual abuse victims, as well as pushing for better access to addiction treatment and mental health services. Undoubtedly these personal issues contributed to his chaotic time in New York. But, all told, Fleury posted 69 goals and 132 assists for 201 points in 224 games, and his pugnacious, physical style of play, even at only 5'6", made him one of my favorite players to root for during that time with the Rangers.

Brad Richards

As I said earlier, there weren't many free agent centers who had long, successful terms with the Rangers. But while Brad Richards only spent three years on Broadway, his impact was undeniable.

The Rangers inked Richards to a nine-year, $60 million contract in 2011, adding a top-line center with a Stanley Cup on his resume to their roster. In 210 games over three seasons, Richards would net 56 goals and add 95 assists for 151 points. He'd be an key part of two deep playoff runs, including to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, putting up 12 goals and 28 points in 55 playoff games. Ultimately the Rangers would use one of their cap compliance buyouts in the summer of 2014 on the remaining six seasons of his contract.

Richards will always be remembered for his game-tying goal with only 6.6 seconds to play in game 5 of their 2012 second round series against the Washington Capitals.

Mats Zuccarello

Just like with Dan Girardi, you could be forgiven for forgetting that Mats Zuccarello was a free agent signing. After signing a two-year entry level contract in 2010, Zuccarello would play parts of three seasons with the Rangers beginning in 2010-2011 when he was called up to take the place of an injured Marian Gaborik.

He would establish himself with the team in the 2013-2014 season, playing 77 games and putting up 59 points. After that, he'd be a mainstay in the Rangers offense, including during some down years for the team. He'd lead the Rangers in points with 59 as part of a very balanced scoring attack in the 2016-2017 season.

Zuccarello was traded in 2019 to the Dallas Stars as part of The Letter rebuild for a 2019 conditional second-round pick and a 2020 conditional third-round pick, infamously bringing Henrik Lundqvist to tears. All told, Zucc put up 113 goals and 239 assists for 352 points in 509 career games with the Rangers.

Ranger fans will always wonder what would have happened in the 2015 playoffs if Zuccarello hadn't been hit in the head with a Ryan McDonagh slapshot, causing him a serious brain contusion and concussion that would force him to miss the majority of that playoff run.

Always remember: Those aren't "boo's" Joe, those are "Zuuuuuuccs!"

Anton Stralman

As I noted earlier, the Rangers don't have much in the way of offensive stars among their free agent defensemen signings. But that's not to say they don't have important players among that group, and Anton Stralman was absolutely one of them.

After washing out of the New Jersey Devils training camp on a try-out contract, the Rangers signed Stralman to a one-year deal in 2011. He would go on to play three seasons in New York, posting seven goals and 31 assists for 38 points in 182 games. Again, no offensive juggernaut here. But he was a unflappable part of the Rangers defense for two deep playoff runs in 2011-2012 and 2013-2014. Following their loss to the Kings in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, the Rangers would elect to let Stralman walk to the Tampa Bay Lightning as they inked Dan Girardi and Marc Staal to their infamous final contracts. Ranger fans are left to wonder what might have been different if they'd extended Stralman over Girardi.

Darius Kasparitis

For years the physical and tough Darius Kasparitis had been a thorn in the side of the Rangers, spending five years with the New York Islanders and six years with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He'd sign with the Rangers in July of 2002, and would go on to play 215 games over four seasons, putting up only six goals and 28 assists for 34 points, but racking up 260 penalty minutes.

Kasparitis was waived twice during his time with the Blueshirts, which might make him a weird addition to this list. But it's his contribution to the Rangers culture for which he'll always been remembered. It was Kasparitis, along with Jaromir Jagr, who started the tradition of the post-win salute to the fans, where the Rangers will skate to center ice at the Garden and raise their sticks to the crowd before exiting to the locker room.

Antti Raanta

Our final entry in the Quarter Century All Free Agent Team backed up Henrik Lundqvist for two seasons from 2015-2017. Raanta had been solid as a back up for two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, and played well in the role behind Lundqvist in New York. In 55 games over two seasons, he posted a 27-14-4 record, with a .921 save percentage and a 2.25 GAA. Raanta was traded along with Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes for Tony DeAngelo and the 7th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which became Lias Andersson.

Thoughts on our Quarter Century All Time Free Agent team? Let us know who you think belongs or who should go in the conversation in the comments!